We can all use a little more money in our pockets at the end of the day. And it’s no wonder that’s the case. According to a Payscale study, “real wages,” or wages factored for inflation, are down 9% since 2006. No wonder it’s getting harder to keep up with all your bills! For many, keeping their financial heads above water means turning to a variety of second jobs and side gigs. Nearly 45% of American workers are earning money outside their primary job these days.
What do you do if you don’t have time for a side gig, though? For many with big commutes or family and childcare responsibilities, working a side gig simply isn’t an option. For many, their lunch break is the only free time they have all day. So how about turning your lunch break into cash?
One way to do that is to take online surveys that pay you in cash or benefits for your time. And since you’re just being paid to answer questions about yourself, what you do, or what you like, it’s not something you need to train or be qualified for—you probably already know how to fill out a survey!
Another way to make money over lunch is to turn to Fiverr where you bid on specific jobs in your specialty or field. Obviously the goal would be to bid on jobs that you could complete over your lunch break so that you can turn that spare time into a chance to make a little profit. While you’ll likely have to do a few jobs and raise your rate to start making bigger bucks on Fiverr, the number of long-term users on the site shows that money can be made if you have particular skill sets and you’re willing to learn the system.
For a less strictly profession-based side gig site, try TaskRabbit. People post Tasks for Taskers for everything from furniture assembly to cleaning to errand running. Some Tasks do require some expertise, but many do not. If you’re in the right spot and have the time over lunch to fulfill a Task, this may be your dream lunch break side gig, particularly if you work in a highly populated area or if you have access to a vehicle.
If freelancing is something you can handle over lunch, then Upwork may be just what you’re looking for. While there are many stories of people turning Upwork gigs into longterm jobs, most postings are for quick turnaround jobs you can bid on if you’ve got a bit of spare time.
The key to making a lunchtime side gig work is keeping a close eye on how much time any job will take before you begin.
